Institutions, ideas, women and gender: New directions in Canadian foreign policy

This article explores the relationship between the representation of women in the Canadian foreign policy machinery and the sorts of policies promoted by the Canadian government. We not that there are few women in the top echelons of Canadian foreign policy. We also show how Canadian foreign policy may be viewed as somehow more feminine than the policy of other states. Some could say that the lack of women at the upper levels has not stopped Canada from adopting gender sensitive policies; however, we suggest that the promotion of gender equality is not the same as the achievement of gender equality. Canada's rhetoric is not borne out in results, particularly when we examine attempts at achieving gender equality at home. Ultimately we argue that women and gender must be meaningfully brought into Canadian foreign policy and we offer some suggestions as to how this can be achieved.